面部神经功能障碍导致面瘫患者患侧面部肌肉运动功能失控, 给患者的外貌、 生理和情感带来巨大的打击。 一种客观量化的面瘫病情严重度评估方法对于面瘫的治疗是至关重要的。 提出了一种基于红外热像图和形式概念分析的面瘫严重度评估新方法, 共收录了单侧患病的面瘫患者65例。 应用红外热成像法, 在1月内每隔5天采集一次面瘫患者的面部温度分布图像, 将面部红外热像进行预处理, 划分为左右对称的六个区域, 提取并分析面部左右两侧对称区域的温差, 利用形式概念分析挖掘温差与面瘫严重度的关系。 结果显示: 面瘫患者面部温度分布呈现双侧不对称性, 面部区域的双侧温差大于0.2 ℃, 而正常人体面部区域的两侧温差均小于0.2 ℃。 面部区域的双测温差与面瘫严重度的相关系数平均为0.508。 此外, 如其中一个区域的左右两侧温差大于0.2 ℃, 并且全部小于0.5 ℃, 则可以判定面瘫为轻中度; 面部任一区域的左右两侧温差大于0.5 ℃, 则可以判定面瘫为重度。 这种基于形式概念分析的红外热像计算机分析方法可用于评估面瘫导致的面部热失调, 有助于面瘫的临床诊断与治理。

This paper presented a novel approach to objective assessment of facial nerve paralysis based on infrared thermography and formal concept analysis. Sixty five patients with facial nerve paralysis on one side were included in the study. The facial temperature distribution images of these 65 patients were captured by infrared thermography every five days during one-month period. First, the facial thermal images were pre-processed to identify six potential regions of bilateral symmetry by using image segmentation techniques. Then, the temperature differences on the left and right sides of the facial regions were extracted and analyzed. Finally, the authors explored the relationships between the statistical averages of those temperature differences and the House-Brackmann score for objective assessment degree of nerve damage in a facial nerve paralysis by using formal concept analysis. The results showed that the facial temperature distribution of patients with facial nerve paralysis exhibited a contralateral asymmetry, and the bilateral temperature differences of the facial regions were greater than 0.2 ℃, whereas in normal healthy individuals these temperature differences were less than 0.2 ℃. Spearman correlation coefficient between the bilateral temperature differences of the facial regions and the degree of facial nerve damage was an average of 0.508, which was statistically significant (p<0.05). Furthermore, if one of the temperature differences of bilateral symmetry on facial regions was greater than 0.2 ℃, and all were less than 0.5 ℃, facial nerve paralysis could be determined as for the mild to moderate; if one of the temperature differences of bilateral symmetry was greater than 0.5 ℃, facial nerve paralysis could be determined as for serious. In conclusion, this paper presents an automated technique for the computerized analysis of thermal images to objectively assess facial nerve related thermal dysfunction by using formal concept analysis theory, which may benefit the clinical diagnosis and treatment of facial nerve paralysis.